The Persecution Of African Migrant Workers In Israel

Last week saw the beatings, public humiliation and slaughter of Ethiopian immigrants living and working in Saudi Arabia. The situation has been so bad that Ethiopian nationals from all over the world have been protesting in front of the gates of all Saudi embassies in Kenya, China and Canada. As you can expect from technology and the 21st century, a Twitter war began, with majority of the ammunition being thrown via #SomeoneTellSaudiArabia.

As of yesterday (Nov 19, 2013), about 23,000 Ethiopians have surrendered to Saudi authorities since the crackdown on illegal migrant workers began in the oil-rich kingdom last week, and close to 3,000 people have already been repatriated to Addis Ababa.

Unfortunately, it’s not in Saudi Arabia alone that Ethiopian and other African migrant workers are currently facing rejection, racism and violence. Far from it. In Israel alone, the situation has been ongoing for the last 4-5 years. Eritreans, Ethiopians and South Sudan nationals in Israel have been under intense surveillance, detention and inhumane deportation. Only this summer did the government of Uganda refuse a deal by Israel that would have allowed the “holy land” officials to deport at least 50,000 African migrant workers from different countries to Uganda. A vast number of these people are now currently locked in concentration camps slowly awaiting their fate.

Today more than ever, I’m calling for every young African, friends of Africa everywhere around the globe to up the ante, to innovate, to inspire, to build a better place for our brothers and sisters at home and abroad. Let’s join one another and come up with the solutions to our problems. Let’s us work together to build a better future for ourselves and for future generations; this is a challenge to you and me! We must make sure that the next generation of Africans are not drowning in the deep waters and deserts of the world in search for a better life far from home. The bus stops with us.

Click on the video below to watch the situation of African migrant workers in Israel. Comment, share the link and let’s all come up cogitative answers to the misery above.

@RasMutabaruka

Image shows inside Israel’s concentration camp for African migrants. The four block camps are the single largest detention facilities in the western world (possibly in the whole world) with a capacity of up to 30,000 people.

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TAPMAG

The African Perspective Magazine is an online/print publication founded out of a need to counter the often one-dimensional way Africa and Africans are portrayed in global media. The magazine aims to expand the scope and narrative focus with which the lives, ambitions and accomplishments of African people are depicted. By representing African life and potential in ways that inform, challenge, empower and celebrate the current generation of the continent’s thinkers, doers and cultural leaders, TAP Magazine helps to present one of the world’s most vibrant, dynamic and historically complex regions in a way that preserves its nuance, humanity and global significance.